Why letting Danny Welbeck join Arsenal could come back to haunt Manchester United

Pastures new: Welbeck is thriving in north London (Image: Stuart MacFarlane)

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Danny Welbeck playing for Arsenal still seems so wrong that even the FA are in subconscious denial. Confirmation of the England squad for the Euro 2016 qualifiers against San Marino and Estonia still had the striker down as representing Manchester United. If this administrative oversight pinched somewhat for United fans still lamenting the Mancunian’s departure, his hat-trick against Galatasaray stabbed daggers made salty by Mad Ferret tears.

Welbeck did what Welbeck had always promised to do: punctuate his excellent forward play with a bulging net. To ram home the point he did it thrice, making fools and hypocrites of former detractors – including many of his new Emirati fans – in the process. The only ones quicker on the turn than the player himself were those duplicitous critics and hacks who now salivate and purr over someone they had previously so relentlessly mocked.

Comparisons to club icon and all-time great Thierry Henry may be premature verging on offensive, but the fact that Arsene Wenger uttered both names in the same sentence is enough to elevate heady expectation to a whole new stratosphere. Not that Welbeck can rightfully blame anyone but himself for the exaggerated esteem. He finished with such arrogant aplomb that you almost expected him to flog you a Renault during the ad break.

It was all too much to bear from large parts of the Granada region, who had no doubt turned over to the Bake Off by the time their former charge had secured easy victory and the match ball. Watching a player who had been so carefully nurtured at Old Trafford bloom in such emphatic style for Arsenal was more sickening than the worst kind of botched baked Alaska. Years of patient goodwill and unstinting support for the eventual benefit of others.

Louis van Gaal’s decision to relinquish Welbeck to a very grateful Wenger is already looking like a potential embarrassment. The fear is not so much that United will desperately miss the player or want for his goals, but rather that a direct rival may have been disproportionately strengthened. Had Arsenal been sans Welbeck this week and calendar year, it is sensible to assume that they’d have found themselves in some serious shtuck on various fronts.

It is the singular reason why the transfer still seems so completely bizarre. Putting aside all the sentimental wants and Mancunian bias of the supporters, it is not as if United’s attack is struggling without Welbeck or even that it is likely to. As for the suggestion in some (unemployed, ex-staff) quarters that the club are somehow desecrating their rich tradition of youth development, messrs Blackett, Lingard, James, McNair and Thorpe may beg to differ.

All smiles: Welbeck had a whale of a time against Galatasaray (Image: Stuart MacFarlane)

Indeed a big part of Van Gaal’s reasoning for Welbeck’s sale is his soaring regard for James Wilson’s immense potential. His progress and obvious talent demanded swift promotion up the pecking order; this and the hire-purchase of Falcao helped Van Gaal to conclude that Welbeck was indeed expendable. If a combination of these two, Rooney, Van Persie, Mata and Di Maria manage to supply a healthy stock of goals, Longsight’s finest will not be missed.

The concern is that the minimal loss to United’s goal tally will be far outweighed by the potential boon to that of Arsenal. In one sense it is a deal that suits everyone, in that Welbeck will become a far better player at the Emirates than he would ever have been had he remained at Old Trafford. At the former he is first-choice and top dog whereas at the latter he would always have remained an under-appreciated cog. It is a transfer that suits all parties just fine.

Welbeck's Manchester United record (all comps)

142

Games

29

Goals

Except it doesn’t, because Manchester United have very obviously empowered a direct rival with an excellent player whom they required far more than United needed to sell. Regardless of whether Arsenal were willing to pay the asking price or whether they were Welbeck’s preferred destination or not, the fact that Van Gaal was so happy to sanction the deal suggests either a level of arrogance or a gross underestimation of how good the player could be.

When Wenger sold Robin van Persie to United, he did so under serious duress and still regretted it. It made him determined never to make the same mistake again. This was tested when the Old Trafford club came knocking for Thomas Vermaelen in the summer. Despite months of active pursuing there was simply no doing and Vermaelen eventually went abroad. Why United were so magnanimous about this as to hand Arsenal an England striker on a platter just weeks later is anyone’s guess.